Etihad Airways partnership set to take Melbourne city football club to new heights

Melbourne City Football Club has announced Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, as its new principal partner.

The five-year deal and new
team kit were unveiled today by Scott Munn, Chief Executive Officer of
Melbourne City FC, and James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of
Etihad Airways, at the football club’s AAMI Park home stadium.

James Hogan said: “Etihad Airways
and the City of Melbourne have a special relationship. It’s not only one of the
most popular destinations in our global network, it’s also the home of Etihad
Stadium, Melbourne’s premier sports and entertainment precinct.

“Our new partnership with
Melbourne City FC further strengthens our ties with this great city and, we
hope, will support the Club and its army of fans in their bid to win the
Hyundai A-League.

“It’s also a valuable
addition to our portfolio of sporting partnerships which includes Barclays
Premier League champions, Manchester City FC, and their home ground at Etihad
Stadium in Manchester.”

Scott Munn said: “We are
very excited about what we are building here at Melbourne City and this new partnership
with Etihad Airways underlines our growing potential both on and off the
pitch.”

In addition to the branding
opportunities, Mr Hogan and Mr Munn also spoke of the broader initiatives that
Etihad Airways and Melbourne City FC will work on together which include football
schools for children, regular fan competitions, and promotional airfares for Club
members and fans.

The Melbourne City squad and
management team will fly with Etihad Airways, via Abu Dhabi, for the club’s
pre-season tour of England departing from Melbourne tonight (Monday 7 July).

The Hyundai A-League is run
by Football Federation Australia (FFA) and was established in 2004 with the
first season of competition in 2005. The A-League currently consists of 10
teams and the season runs from October to May, culminating in a Grand Final.

Etihad Airways operates
daily flights between its hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport and Brisbane, Melbourne
and Sydney. The airline has a First and Business Class Lounge at Sydney International
Airport and will open another at Melbourne International Airport in the first
half of 2015.